Machine for stacking paper including oppositely withdrawable adjacent stack supports



Aug. 2, 1960 F. B. CURTENIUS 2,947,428

MACHINE FOR STACKING PAPER INCLUDING OPPOSITELY WITHDRAWABLE ADJACENTSTACK SUPPORTS Filed April 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 izifii 57 INVENTOR;2/ /?znfl/z% 45f 6409/7/05 i W/MOKM Aug. 2, 1960 F. B. CURTENIUS2,947,428

MACHINE FOR STACKING PAPER INCLUDING OPPOSITELY WITHDRAWABLE ADJACENTSTACK SUPPORTS Filed April 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 i 5; 5,2 3/ 5 7 5INVENTOR.

United States Patent 2,947,423 Patented Aug. 2., 1960 nice MACHINE FORSTACKING PAPER INCLUDING OPPOSITELY WITHDRAWABLE ADJACENT STACK SUPPORTSFrederick B. Curtenius, Kalamazoo, Mich., assignor, by mesneassignments, to Rice Barton Corporation, Worcester, Mass., a corporationof Massachusetts Filed Apr. 29, 1954, Ser. No. 426,496

12 Claims. (Cl. 214-6) This invention relates to a machine for stackingpaper.

The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a machine for accurately and rapidly stacking aplurality of small piles of paper into a single stack with regularvertical sides. a

Second, to provide a machine which will transfer small piles of paperfrom a trimming machine to a straight stack of paper on a skid forfurther handling and shipment of the paper.

Third, to provide a machine which will load the piles of paper from apaper trimmer without requiring manual lifting and alignment of thepiles on the stack on which they are disposed.

Fourth, to provide a machine which will transfer a pile of trimmed papersheets to a support without disturbing the alignment of the sheets inthe pile.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from aconsideration of the following description and claims. The drawings ofwhich there are two sheets, illustrate a highly practical form of thepaper transferring and stacking machine.

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view partially broken away in cross-sectionof the paper stacking machine associated with a paper trimmer and stacksupporting and elevating skid.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view from the front of the paper stackingmachine.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the stacking machine with the table panels inopen position.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along the plane ofthe line 4--4 in Fig. 3 with the table panels in closed position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along :1

In the process of manufacturing paper, particularly high grade paperused for books, it is presently the practice to rough trim a pluralityof sheets to approximate size and after inspection the sheets arecollected in piles and delivered to a trimmer which accurately squaresand sizes all of the sheets in the pile. The operation of transferringthe sheets to and from the trimmer is a manual operation requiringconsiderable effort and skill. The trimmed and squared piles aretransferred manually to a stack usually supported on a skid for furtherhandling and shipment. The individual piles are limited in height by thecapacity of the trimmer and the ability of two men to lift the pile anddeposit it accurately and squarely on the stack of sheets when theybuildon the skid.

The present invention provides mechanically operated means for quicklyand accurately transferring successive piles of paper from a trimmer toa stack of sheets supported on a skid. In Fig. 1 there is convenientlyillustrated a paper trimmer -1 positioned in spaced relationship to ahydraulic lift 2 having a platform 3 which can into a pit 4 as theheight of the stack of sheets on table 5 and a hydraulic ram 6 forpositioning piles of paper on the table and capable of pushing the pilesforwardly oif the front edge of the table. The individual piles of paper7 are accumulated in a stack 8 on a skid 9 positioned on the plaftorm 3.

The transfer of piles from the table 5 to the stack 8 is accomplished bya carriage 10 which rolls in tracks 11 from the front of the trimmer toover the pit 4 and stack 8. The carriage v10 may be made up in variousforms but includes front and back rails 12 on which are slidably mountedtwo plates 13 and 14 of a transfer table. Slideways or guides 15 (seeFig. 5) keep the plates in alignment on the rails and the top surfacesof the plates are level with the surface of the trimmer table 5.

Rotatably supported along the rails 12 as by bearings 16 are reverselythreaded screws 17. The undersides of the plates 13 and 14 are providedwith depending traveling nuts 18 and 19 respectively which mesh with thescrews so that rotation of the screws will cause the plates to slidetoward and away from each other on the rails 12. The screws 17 aredriven by chains 20 from a motor 21 carried by the carriage.

Supported from the rails 12 and extending from front and rear across thetable '13 is a side guide or fence 22 arranged to locate the side of apile of sheets on the carriage. A back guide or fence 23 is supportedfrom the back rail over the back edges of the plate to locate and alignthe back edge of the pile of sheets.

The area under the plates 13 and 14 is substantially unobstructed sothat the hydraulic lift 2 may raise the top of the stack 8 into closeproximity with the undersides of the plates 13 and 14 when the carriageis positioned over the pit 4. In order to facilitate positioning of thetop of the stack 8, the motor 24 or other mechanism which controls thehydraulic lift is connected through a control cable 25 to an electriceye 26 mounted closely under the plates 13 and 14. A coacting lamp 27(see Fig. 3) actuates the eye 26 and motor 24 to stop the ascent of thelift when the top of the stack reaches the desired level. A control boxhaving a lift controlling switch 28 and a switch 29 for controlling thescrew operating motor 21 may be conveniently mounted on one end of thecarriage. The photo electric eye 26 and manual switch may actuate asolenoid switch 28A to in-' directly actuate the lift motor 24. A stop30 on the tracks llwill always locate the carriage over the sameposition on the platform 3.

Desirably the side fence or guide 22 is spaced from the junction of theplates 13 and 14 by a distance more than half the width of the sheetsbeing handled. This means that more than half the weight of the pile ofsheets will be supported on the plate 13 and the friction force of theplate 13 on the bottom of the pile will be somewhat greater than thefriction force of the plate 14 on the pile. Then when the plates beginto separate under the action of the reversely threaded screws 17 thepile will be drawn automatically into aligning engagement with the sidefence 22. The action of the ram 6 on the trimmer functions to positionthe rear edge of the pile snugly against the rear fence '23. As theplates 13 and 14 separate, a portion of the pile intermediate of itsends will sink through the widening space between the plates. Since thetop of the stack 8 is located in close proximity to the undersides ofthe plates the piles do not have far to drop and the deflection orbending of the piles is insuflicient to disturb the squared and alignedrelationship of the individual sheets on the pile. Desirably thedistance between the top surfaces of the plates 13 and 14 and the top ofthe stack 8 is maintained at about one inch or less. After theindividual pile has been dis posed on the stack the stack and hydrauliclift can be lowered to clear the rails 12 of the table and the carriageis returned for a succeeding pile on the trimmer. Simultaneously thetable plates are drawn back together.

, It is pointed out that the side guide or fence 22 determines theposition or location of the side edge of the first pile deposited on theskid and will thereafter locate successive piles in the same position.The back guide or fence 23 and the carriage stop similarly determine thelocation of the back sides of the several piles so the stack that isbuilt up on the skid is square and vertical. This greatly facilitatesfurther handling and shipment of the stack.

Desirably the table forming plates 13 and 14- are of laminatedconstruction with upper and lower metal sheets 31 and 32 held togetherby screws 33. A plurality of intersecting grooves 34 formed in one ofthe metal sheets provide channels which are opened to the top surfacesof the plates by small ports 35. A source of compressed air is connectedto the channels 3-4 as at 36 and this forms an air film along thesurface of the plates and under the piles of paper to facilitate slidingof the piles across the surfaces of the table plates.

It is pointed out that the size of the sheets being handled and theposition of the side guide or fence 22 have a direct bearing on theposition of the stack of sheets relative to the junction of plates 13and 14. If the sheets are short and the side guide is moved away fromthe junction between the plates, the stack may rest entirely on the leftplate 13 and not extend across the gap to the plate 14'. This will notdefeat the operation of the piler because, particularly with a stack ofshort sheets, the side guide or fence 22 will prevent lateral movementof the stack as the plate 13' retracts. In this case the right free edgeof the stack as viewed in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 merely sags over theretracting edge of the table onto the subadjacent skid or pile. In thisoperation of the piler, the right plate 14 merely idles and can bedisregarded.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed to be new andis-desired to be secured by Letters Patent 1. Paper stacking apparatusin combination with a paper trimmer and a hoist spaced therefromcomprising, a carriage, guide rails for directing said carriage fromsaid trimmer to over said hoist, a pair of table plates slidably mountedon said carriage and movable between opposed edge to edge relation andspaced apart relation, reversely threaded screws on said carriageconnected to said plates to oppositely actuate the same, a control forregulating said hoist, an electrical eye limiting means connected tosaid control and carried by said carriage underneath said plates andcoacting with material on said hoist to stop upward motion of the hoistwith the top of the material not further than one inch below the tops ofsaid plates, a side guide carried by said carriage and extending acrossone of said plates perpendicularly to its line of motion, a back guidecarried by said carriage and extending across said plates parallel totheir line of motion, and a stop limiting movement of said carriage onsaid rails in one position relative to said hoist, said plates havingairpassages therethrough and ports opening from the passages to the topsurface of the plates to form air films under piles of paper on theplates.

2. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage, guide rails for directingsaid carriage from said trimmer to over said hoist, a pair of tableplates slidably mounted on said carriage and movable between opposededge to edge relation and spaced apart relation, reversely threadedscrews on said carriage connected to said plates to oppositely actuatethe same, a control for regulating said hoist, an electrical eyelimiting means connected to said control and carried by said carriageunderneath said plates and coacting with material on said hoist to stopupward motion of the hoist with the top of the material not further thanone inch below the tops of said plates, a side guide carried by saidcarriage and extending across one of said plates perpendicularly to itsline of motion, and a stop limiting movement of said carriage on saidrails in one position relative to said hoist, said plates having airpassages therethrough and ports opening from the passages to the topsurfaces of the plates to form air films under piles of paper on theplates.

3. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage, guide rails for directingsaid carriage from said trimmer to over said hoist, a pair of tableplates slidably mounted on said carriage and movable from spacedpositions into side by side relation, reversely threaded screws on saidcarriage connected to said plates to oppositely actuate the same, acontrol for regulating said hoist, an electrical eye limiting meansconnected to said control and carried by said carriage underneath saidplates and coacting with material on said hoist to stop upward motion ofthe hoist with the top of the material in closely spaced relationshipbelow said plates, and a side guide carried by said carriage andextending across one of said plates perpendicularly to its line ofmotion.

4. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage, guide rails for directingsaid carriage from said trimmer to over said hoist, a pair of tableplates slidably mounted on said carriage and movable from spacedpositions into side by side relation, reversely threaded screws on saidcarriage connected to said plates to oppositely actuate the same, acontrol for regulating said hoist, and limiting means connected to saidcontrol and carried by said carriage underneath said plates and coactingwith material on said hoist to stop upward motion of the hoist with thetop of the material in closely spaced relationship below said plates.

5. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, -a carriage movable from said trimmerto over said hoist, a pair of table plates slidably mounted on saidcarriage and movable from spaced positions into side by side relation,reversely threaded screws on said carriage connected to said plates tooppositely actuate the same, a control for regulating said hoist,limiting means connected to said control and carried by said carriageunderneath said plates and coacting with material on said hoist to stopupward motion of the hoist with the top of the material in closelyspaced relationship below said plates, a side guide carried by saidcarriage and extending across one of said plates perpendicularly to itsline of motion, and a back guide carried by said carriage and extendingacross said plates parallel to their line of motion.

6. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and 'ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage movable from said trimmerto over said hoist, a pair of table plates slidably mounted on saidcarriage and movable from spaced positions into side by side relation,reversely threaded screws on said carriage connected to said plates tooppositely actuate the same, a side guide carried by said carriage andextending across one of said plates perpendicularly to its line ofmotion, and a back guide carried by said carriage and extending acrosssaid plates parallel to their line of motion.

7. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage movable from said trimmerto over said hoist, a pair of table plates slidably mounted on saidcarriage and movable from spaced positions into side by side relation,reversely threaded screws on said carriage connected to said plates tooppositely actuate the same, and 'a. side guide carried by said carriageand extending across one of said plates perpendicularly to its line ofmotion.

8; Paper stackingapparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage movable from said trimmerto over said hoist, a table plate slidably mounted on said carriage,screws on said carriage connected to said plate to reversely actuate thesame, a control for regulating said hoist, limiting means connected tosaid control and carried by said carriage underneath said plate andcoacting with material on said hoist to stop upward motion of the hoistwith the top of the material in closely spaced relationship below saidplate, a side guide carried by said carriage and extending across saidplate perpendicularly to its line of motion, and a back guide carried bysaid carriage and extending across said plate parallel to its line ofmotion.

9. Paper stacking apparatus in combination with a paper trimmer and ahoist spaced therefrom comprising, a carriage movable from said trimmerto over said hoist, a plate slidably mounted on said carriage, means onsaid carriage connected to said plate to reversely actuate the same, acontrol for regulating said hoist, limiting means connected to saidcontrol and carried by said carriage underneath said plate and coactingwith material on said hoist to stop upward motion of the hoist with thetop of the material in closely spaced relationship below said plate, anda side guide carried by said carriage and extending across said plateperpendicularly to its line of motion.

-10. A device for handling piles of paper comprising, a carriage adaptedto move over a support, a first plate reciprocably slidable on saidcarriage, a second plate reciprocably slidable on said carriage andco-planar with the first plate, reversely threaded screw means anddriving means therefor mounted on said carriage, a travelling nut oneach of said plates and engaged with said screw means to move saidplates toward and away from each other, a guide plate carried by saidcarriage and extending across one of said plates transversely of itsline of motion, and a second guide plate on said carriage and extendingacross the adjacent edges of said plates parallel to their line ofmotion.

11. A device for handling piles of paper comprising, a carriage adaptedto move over a support, a first plate reciprocably slidable on saidcarriage, a second plate reciprocably slidable on said carriage andcoplanar with the first plate, reversely threaded screw means anddriving means therefor mounted on said carriage, a travelling nut oneach of said plates and engaged with said screw means to move saidplates toward and away from each other, and a guide carried by saidcarriage and extending across one of said plates transversely of itsline of motion.

12. Apparatus for forming small piles of flexible sheets havinginsufficient rigidly to be self supporting into a larger stackcomprising, a support for the stack to be formed, means for raising andlowering said support, a second support positioned above said firstsupport and spaced laterally therefrom so as not to obstruct the areavertically above said first support, a pair of horizontal platesslidably mounted on said second support, said plates being coplanar,means for reversely and oppositely actuating said plates to move intoadjacent position over said first support and to laterally retractedpositions to the side of said first support, and a guide having avertically extending surface positioned transversely across the path ofmovement of one of said plates and over one side of said first support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,787,572 English Jan. 6, 1931 1,951,178 Smitmans Mar..13, 19342,069,424 Seit Feb. 2, 1937 2,164,371 Ajello July 4, 1939 2,273,689Boron et al Feb. 17, 1942 2,323,174 Wilke June 29, 1943 2,627,354 Isellaet a1 Feb. 3, 1953 2,648,380 Socke Aug. 11, 1953 2,701,650 StevensonFeb. 8, 1955 2,741,308 Meyer Apr. 10, 1956 2,771,948 Thumin Nov. 27,1956

